Your Problem Not Mine
by mintloveme523
Summary: Harry Potter is shocked to find out the betrayal of his two best friends during the summer before his sixth year. He defeats Voldemort and he decides to leave them to suffer the consequences of their actions. (Temporarily on hold)
1. Departure from the Dursleys

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. I'm just an avid fan

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_Chapter 1: Departure from the Dursleys_

Harry Potter is not your ordinary fifteen-year-old British teenager. He is a wizard and not a normal one. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, destined to defeat an evil lord at the age of 1 and nowadays, he was the Chosen One. Harry had faced through many dangerous and exhilarating adventures such as facing a vicious three-headed dog, saving a powerful stone from the hands of his disguised professor, broke a thousand-year mystery and saved a girl from an evil grasp, encountered dementors and fought them off, gone through a difficult tournament intended for of-age students, watched Voldemort's return, watched Cedric Diggory get mercilessly killed and worst of all, he had fallen into a trap which resulted in his godfather's death.

Now instead of being close to the ones he held dear to help him grieve for the one he had grown close with as a father, Harry was sent back to his magic-hating muggle relatives. Harry despised it there, his uncle would yell at him, his aunt would probably throw several more frying pans at him, and his cousin would probably start to chase him around again like before. But all that never happened, when Harry had returned to the Dursleys for the summer, he was greeted slightly by warmth. Harry was so confused that he trudged up to his bedroom without hesitation.

The next morning, he was greeted by the smell of pancakes and waffles. Determined that his sense of smell was broken, Harry walked into the kitchen to see Aunt Petunia making pancakes while Dudley was eating and Uncle Vernon was reading the newspaper like usual. Aunt Petunia turned around and smiled softly at him, "Oh you're awake. Breakfasts ready, eat it when it is warm." Harry raised his eyebrow, what a sudden drastic change to her attitude and behavior. Harry slowly sat down and cut up his pancakes, weary of them. Nothing happened and Harry mentally shrugged, perhaps this summer wouldn't be too bad.

It wasn't too bad contrary to what he thought, the Dursleys had apologized for treating him very poorly and promised that they would try to get on friendlier terms with him. He got to go to the museums that he never got the chance to go to, he visited the childhood zoo again (Dudley refused to go because it brought back bad memories). Harry finally got the peace he wanted for a long time. For the next few weeks, Harry relaxed and even found the excitement and freedom of doing his schoolwork. Harry was reading up the past materials he had missed and now he was engrossed in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk reading up the chapter on offensive spells. Harry was determined to increase his academic knowledge to prepare against Voldemort. Ever since the Ministry had finally believed that Voldemort had returned last year in the atrium, security had almost quadrupled and Harry had been never resting ever since.

_**Flashback**_

Harry woozily stood up, his mind spinning. He saw the atrium fill up with people and Cornelius Fudge looking stunned as he walked closer. The floor reflected green flames that burst into life in all the fireplaces, as a stream of Ministry employees emerged from them.

"He was there" exclaimed a scarlet-robed man with a ponytail, "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear, it was You-Know-Who, he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!" Several people nodded their heads in agreement.

"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too" gibbered Fudge, gasping as though he had just run a marathon. Harry watched as the people had disbelief shown on their faces.

Dumbledore walked forward, "If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius. You will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them." (Rowling OoP Chapter 36)

"Dumbledore" gasped Fudge, apparently beside himself with shock and amazement, "You-here-I-can't-" He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him as if he had half a mind to order, "Seize him!" Harry had been too exhausted and lightheaded that he did not have enough power and energy to stay angry at Fudge's idiocy.

"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men — and win again," said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago you saw the proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong men for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"

Fudge spluttered and was lost for words. He tried to look around as though hoping someone would back him up. No one did.

_**Flashback Ends**_

Harry sighed deeply, now that Fudge had admitted his faults and was starting to actively participate in the war efforts, he had trouble staying out of the media attention. Before the media was portraying him and Dumbledore as liars and now they were praising them for bringing this urgent and of essence matter to attention. Security measures doubled and now students fifth year and above are strictly allowed to practice spells in defense of themselves as long as it did not violate the International Statute of Secrecy.

Harry was now able to practice spells that he never got the chance to improve on over the summer and could now show his relatives some magic. Dudley was mesmerized and constantly badgered him about performing some 'cool awesome magic'. Harry found it amusing that Dudley was now so interested in magic and eager to see him perform them. He even made their lives easier by charming some of their appliances like the dishwasher to clean the dishes itself or like the laundry would operate on its own.

Over the summer Harry had taken the time to learn wandless magic, non-verbal magic and several more useful abilities in combat duel. It was difficult but Harry was never discouraged anymore and he had the freedom to access the wizarding world for information. But before the last couple of weeks of the summer, Harry received a letter from Dumbledore, telling him that he is to leave the Dursleys and rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron where there were more witches and wizards around. Harry had informed the Dursleys of his early departure and bid them a safe time.

So that afternoon, Harry packed his things and pulled out a couple of sickles before leaving the Dursleys. He stepped outside and walked a couple of feet down the street before holding his wand out. Bang! Then suddenly the familiar screeching of a purple bus before it stopped sharply. Stan stepped off and started to give his usual talk, Harry smiled slightly remembering the time he boarded the Knight Bus in his third year.

Harry boarded the Knight Bus, shoved the money into Stan's hand and turned to the driver, "Ernie, take me to the Leaky Cauldron." Stan smirked, "You heard the boy, Ern, the Leaky Cauldron it is!" There was another tremendous bang and the Knight Bus shot off at lightning speeds, Harry steadied himself at the sudden jerk before falling onto one of the nearby beds.

Before he knew it, they had arrived in front of the Leaky Cauldron and Harry had gotten off. Harry shrunk his trunk and walked into the Leaky Cauldron, lots of customers sat down talking, laughing, and drinking. Harry made his way to the front bar where the manager Tom was laughing and serving one of his customers with beer. Harry slid a couple of galleons over the counter, "I would like to book a single private room for three weeks please." Tom nodded briefly, "Of course, lad. Staying over at the Leaky Cauldron seems to be the most popular choice amongst Hogwarts students like you. Room 320 will be available for your use, here's the key and enjoy your stay." Harry smiled and then went up to his room where he locked the door and collapsed on his bed. Eagerly awaiting the next day.

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A/N: Thank you for reading. Chapter 2 is now posted.


	2. Shock and Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. I'm just an avid fan.

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Chapter 2: Shock and Revelations

Harry got up the next morning, feeling filled with energy after a nice long sleep. Tom had brought breakfast up to his room, where he enjoyed a warm and toasty English breakfast. He yawned and got ready for the day. Harry decided to stretch his legs a bit and go for a walk in Diagon Alley. There was a new broomstick on the display at the Quality Quidditch store, the Lightning 1000 and every day Harry could make out a large mob of excited children fawning over the latest model. Harry had to control himself not to buy it as he already had a Firebolt, which was in a pristine condition. Over the next few weeks, Harry had picked up a couple of interesting finds such as a language potion, which allowed him to speak in several languages fluently. Harry decided to test it out when he eats lunch at one of his favorite diners in Diagon Alley. The waitress was extremely pleased that he could speak in her native language as there weren't any foreign visitors often. After Harry had to make a stop at the Magical Menagerie to purchase some owl treats for Hedwig.

One day Harry was picking up some parchment and ink for his quills. Ron had broken many of his ink bottles accidentally so Harry had gone for the unbreakable ink bottles. As he was exiting the store, a few notebooks and fountain pens catch his eye. He doubled back to take a better look at them as the manager walked over to him.

"Those are some everlasting notebooks and pens, lad," the manager said, seeing Harry's curiosity. Harry grinned, "These look brilliant, sir. How did you come up with this idea?" Harry was personally very interested as he hadn't used a pen in years and wondered how the manager had incorporated magic into the stationary. The manager smiled and explains that one of his muggle-born colleague's stationery intrigued him and it inspired him to improve it with magic.

Harry hummed softly as he turned the pen over several times before he requested the price. The manager smiled and decided to give him a discounted price for the item because he says that very few people like him show an interest in muggle-inspired items. In the end, Harry had purchased two full stationery sets, one for himself and the other for Neville, since he wanted to help his friend, who had shown trouble using quills and parchment. Just as he had pocketed his purchase and was heading towards the Leaky Cauldron, he walked straight into Neville or Neville ran straight into him and they both lost their balance. Harry had regained his balance and then straightened up to see Neville grinning accompanied by his grandmother, which Harry recognized as Augusta Longbottom.

Neville grinned, "Harry! I never knew you were here as well. Grandma and I are staying over at the Leaky Cauldron until I go back to Hogwarts. Same too?" Harry nodded. Neville beamed, "Brilliant! We can go shopping for our school materials together." Neville looked at his grandmother for approval and she nodded. Harry smiled. Over the next couple of weeks, Harry hangs out with Neville and they also bumped into several of their other classmates like Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, and Terry Boot.

Harry and Neville were making their way back to the Leaky Cauldron after a long afternoon of browsing the stores when Neville had started to talk about what he wanted to do after graduation.

"-and then probably after graduation, I would want to become a herbologist. I also will have to do my duties as Lord Longbottom. Grandma was so proud of me after what happened last year and told me that I would make a great Head when I came of age and took over the mantle" Neville stopped and smiled, "Well, of course, you would be a great Lord too. You're a natural-born leader."

Neville smiled at Harry but was met by a confused expression. Harry raised an eyebrow, "Me, Lord of The Most Ancient and Noble House of the Potters? Are you pulling my leg, Neville? You've have got to be kidding me, I never knew that." Neville's smile faltered and turned serious, "You didn't know? I thought you knew, every pureblood and half-blood is supposed to be informed of their heritage from birth. Have you never received any of Gringotts' monthly financial statements or letters?"

Harry shook his head and Neville frowned, "That's weird. Didn't anyone tell you your financial status when you first went to Gringotts?" There was a moment of silence as they entered back into the Leaky Cauldron and up to their rooms. Neville's was on the second floor so Harry had bid farewell on the staircase.

Harry found himself in front of Gringotts the next morning, what Neville said had made Harry think a lot about how much he didn't know last night. Harry decided what better individual to give him information than the goblins that managed his account. So Harry had walked up to the front desk and cleared his throat, "I have a requested appointment with my account manager." A few minutes later, Harry found himself inside Sharpclaw's office.

Sharpclaw folded his hands together, "What seems to be the problem here, Mr. Potter?" Harry frowned, "I just found out just yesterday that I was the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and that I've never received any of your monthly account statements."

Sharpclaw's expression immediately hardened, "How is that possible? I have made sure all statements were sent to the correct address. This is a serious felony, Mr. Potter, if anyone is found guilty of meddling with one's account, they would be punished severely."

Sharpclaw quickly went to check the update of the most recent bank statement and he growled. "What happened?" Harry asked concerned. Sharpclaw sighed and handed the huge file over to him, "We have found out that Dumbledore has been interfering with your account and has withdrawn most of your money over the last 10 years and deposited them to several people."

Harry quickly read through the statement and each time his expression hardened more. How dare Hermione and Ron steal from him? He had done everything for his friends and now they steal from behind his back? Harry felt anger bubbling up inside him and he could swear he heard kettle steaming in the distance.

Sharpclaw swore to help him, "We, at Gringotts, are deeply angered and will cooperate with the best of our abilities to correct this wrong." Harry growled, "I want every single knut of the stolen money back into my account without their notice plus interest by next month. I will personally confront them. It would be much appreciated if this is shown to Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as evidence to press charges."

Sharpclaw bowed, "We will be right on that, Mr. Potter. Would you like to claim your inheritance and be emancipated?" Harry looked confused, "Elaborate please." Sharpclaw grinned, "Of course, Mr. Potter. You see once you were forced into competing in the Triwizard Tournament and by setting a foot in the First Task, the Ministry will see you as an adult and thus, you could become the Head. Just one of the loopholes of binding contracts we found."

Sharpclaw continued, "As well as claiming the Potter lordship, you are also the sole heir of the House of Black. According to Mr. Sirius Black's Will, you are to be left with all his assets and the lordship of his house."

Harry felt a pit in his stomach form. He had just remembered that Sirius died last year all caused by his irrational thinking. But Sirius would have wanted him to brave past all the difficult times and change the view of his family to others. Harry gulped, he wasn't quite ready to claim the position of Sirius's heir, just not yet. Sharpclaw nodded in understanding and wrote a quick note down.

Harry sighed deeply and felt confident as Sharpclaw took out a small leather box and inside lay the Potter lordship ring. Harry looked at Sharpclaw for confirmation and Sharpclaw confidently nodded approval. Harry held in his breath and carefully slipped on the Potter ring and a flash of light as it recognized him as a true Head. Then followed by flashing around Harry, Sharpclaw watched in shock as he felt raw power surround his client. After a while, the light vanished and Harry opened his eyes, he felt so much freer and lighter as though something heavy had been lifted off his shoulders.

Sharpclaw bowed, "It is a pleasure to be honored in your presence, Lord Potter." Harry beamed, "Call me Harry because I have a funny feeling that we will be meeting each other very soon." Harry was ready to stand up and fight, fueled by the anger of betrayal and the thought of making his godfather proud.

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A/N: Chapter 3 is in progress. May be a late post because my winter break is over and I have finals coming up. Sorry if this takes too long, will promise somewhere of a late January post.

Update: Finals are almost over. Chapter 3 is currently being worked on. Thank you for waiting so patiently.

New Update: Chapter 3 is finally posted! Check it out. Thank you for waiting so long, hope you enjoy.


	3. Start of Sixth Year

A/N: I have made my promise, chapter 3 is posted. Thank you for waiting so long, hope you enjoy.

As usual, if you have any comments or suggestions, you may always notify me. Support is always a nice motivation for writing. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. I'm just an avid fan.

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Chapter 3: Start of Sixth Year

Harry and Neville were eating breakfast one morning at the Leaky Cauldron when two owls flew into the bar and landed on the table with what seemed like two official-looking letters. "Those must be those OWL results, Neville," said Augusta who fondly stroked the owl's feathers. Harry gulped and his stomach churned, suddenly he wished he had eaten less breakfast. Neville had a similar expression as he held his results with unbridled trembling hands. Harry unfolded the parchment inside.

**Ordinary Wizarding Levels**

_Harry James Potter has achieved:_

Astronomy A Herbology E

History of Magic A Potions E

Transfiguration E Care of Magical Creatures E

Charms E Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Divination P

Harry felt proud of his grades, he knew that he would have failed Divination, no surprise with the professor making predictions about his untimely demise. He hadn't expected to pass History as he had collapsed in the middle of class but he was allowed to have a makeup where he had finished the exam. But most of all, he had even exceeded expectations in his Potions exam, although that meant the end of his dream to become an Auror. Harry glanced over at Neville, who had shared the same pensive expression.

"I passed Charms, Defense, and Herbology," Neville said. He handed the parchment to his grandma who did a cursory read and grinned brightly. "I always knew you would do so well! You're starting to live up to your dad, Frank would be so proud of you" exclaimed Augusta Longbottom. Harry smiled at Neville's achievement. Harry turned his envelope over and something cold and heavy slipped into his hands. Harry flipped it over and stared at the golden badge that had Captain Potter letterings etched into the surface. Neville beamed, "Congrats! I knew you would be chosen." Harry thanked Neville and stared at the badge, his heart filled with happiness at the thought of being Captain just like his dad.

The next day, Augusta took the two of them to purchase their school supplies. Seeing that Harry couldn't take Potions anymore, he didn't bother to buy his potions supplies and instead invested in something more practical for his use. Neville's grandmother had insisted that he try to apply for NEWT Transfiguration classes even though he did not achieve the necessary grade. When Neville asked if he could continue with Charms instead, his grandmother snapped, "Charms is a soft option, in my opinion. It is extremely worthless to take. Transfiguration is the better subject instead, you will take that." Harry watched the interaction silently beside them as he was purchasing his textbooks. Before both of them left for Hogwarts, Augusta had given them a quick politics lesson about proper etiquette and behavior, along with where they stood in social rankings.

It was only a few days before Harry and Neville would get back on the Hogwarts Express and start their sixth year. On the morning of September 1st, Harry double-checked his trunk to see if he had everything he needed and then shrunk it before stuffing it in his jacket pocket. "Harry! Are you done? Grandma says we should hurry, we only have two hours before traffic increases" shouted Neville from downstairs. Harry grabbed his wand from the counter and dashed downstairs where Neville and his grandmother waited for him. Neville looked at Harry, "You ready?" Harry drew a deep breath and nodded as Neville's grandmother withdrew a portkey. Harry grabbed a hold of the boot and then they were whisked off.

They landed with a sudden thud and saw the familiar Hogwarts Express and a few families sending their kids off. Harry and Neville bid goodbye to Augusta and boarded the train. They both found an empty compartment and settled down. Harry took out a book on the history of the Ministry of Magic and started to read. Neville had tried to practice some of the fifth year charms he learned over the summer. Everyone had boarded the Hogwarts Express already and luckily there was no sighting of any Weasley around. As the Hogwarts Express rolled past the fields, Luna had joined their compartment and started to read the Quibbler upside down.

About 20 minutes into the train ride, Draco Malfoy and his goons appeared in front of their compartment, who looked smug and arrogant as usual. Harry groaned but ignored him. His burning hatred for the blond arrogant selfless Slytherin had been instilled over the times he had ridiculed Harry at Hogwarts. Malfoy smirked, "Oh look, its Potty back to Hogwarts! Bet you enjoyed your summer huh? With your mutt godfather dead and the Dark Lord back, you should be careful with who you are hanging out with..." His eyes lingered distastefully at Neville and Luna before looking back at Harry. Harry growled as he felt the anger pent up inside of him, "Leave me alone, Malfoy. I still can't believe you can't finish one train ride without coming here to bother me, one can only assume you have some weird crazy obsession with being in the same presence as Harry Potter." Neville sniggered and Harry cracked a slight smirk.

Malfoy choked and turned beet red, "Shut up, Potter! I am not obsessed with a dirty half-blood like you! I have a better company than you and your muggle-loving friend, blood traitor, squib and his lunatic girl. You better watch yourself this year or you won't survive till next year once the Dark Lord gets his hands on you." Neville immediately jumped up at that but was stopped by Luna. Malfoy marched off angrily with Crabbe and Goyle lumping after him like lapdogs after a treat. Neville sat back down angrily and gritted his teeth, "I can't believe the nerve of Malfoy insulting Luna like that! If I get to him, I'll wring his neck and make sure he knows he doesn't mess with us!" Luna calmly placed a hand on his lap, "Don't worry, Neville. I'm sure he is very insecure and confused himself. I can see that he has lots of Nargles around his head." Neville calmed down at Luna's affirmation and quickly extricated himself from the tense situation by going to the bathroom. Harry glanced at Luna, who gave a tender smile, "He's okay. Neville's just quite overprotective over me, he takes his bodyguard duties very seriously. Just give him some more space and time, and he'll come around." Harry smiled and engaged Luna in a conversation about the Quibbler. Soon enough, Neville came back, looking very refreshed and also joined into their discussion. They were in the midst of a friendly debate on house rivalry when Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger appeared at their compartment.

Ron happily said, "Hey, how's your summer mate? Find out anything interesting?" He eyed the pile of sweets and reached for one with his greedy hand.

Harry coldly answered, "If you had written me any letter over the summer, you would have known that my summer was not so pleasant, Ron."

Hermione frowned and reprimanded Harry, "You should be much nicer to us, Harry. We didn't do anything wrong, we are just being concerned about you."

"Well ya, if you were so concerned about me, you should have offered support after Siri- Sirius' death" Harry rebuked as he choked emotionally.

Neville offers a conjured handkerchief and Harry accepted it graciously. Luna angrily glared at the two, "I think it's time you give Harry some space and for you to rethink your so-called loyalty to your friend." Ron in a spur of anger, raised his hand angrily, content to follow through when Neville jumped up and pressed his brand new wand instinctively at Ron's head.

"I would not try to continue your actions, Weasley. I just found out I have a great deal of power running through my family veins and I am quite eager to test it out with my new wand. Try me, Weasley" growled Neville.

Ron eyed the wand pressed against his forehead and gulped. He wearily took a few steps back with an expression of pure displeasement. Neville did not lower his wand. "Your true expression of displeasement warrants some sort of intended challenge against me, is that not? I would be careful if I were you, you're trending on dangerous waters here. I would rethink how you act and think not only towards your friends and peers but to everyone in general." Hermione being the quick-witted person at the time, quickly dragged Ron down the train, puffing angrily.

Harry and Neville were a bit starving a bit into the train ride as the trolley witch had not come by yet and word was that she had to restock on the food. Luna had gone and joined her Ravenclaw friends in another compartment, so Harry and Neville were together. They had taken a break to change in their robes and then came back. Harry was explaining some of his theories on transfiguration when a breathless third-year girl stumbled into their compartment.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter," she faltered, her eyes barely met Harry's and she blushed a light shade of pink. Confused, Harry and Neville reached for the scrolls that were tied with violet ribbons. Harry unrolled his.

_Harry,_

_I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C. _

_Sincerely, Professor H. E. F. Slughorn._

Harry looked at Neville, who held a similar letter. "Who's Professor Slughorn," asked Neville, perplexed at his invitation. Harry shrugged, "Dunno, I suppose some sort of new teacher this year, I reckon. Do you think we should go?" Neville nodded. Harry and Neville made their way down the train. Harry wished he had taken his Cloak because he was stared at the whole time he walked past compartments. People hurtled back to get a second glimpse at him, others whispered and pointed. Neville was oblivious to all the attention as he had been staring at his sweaty palms the whole time. When they reached compartment C, they saw at once that they were not Slughorn's only invites, and judging by the enthusiasm of Slughorn's welcome, Harry was the most warmly anticipated.

"Harry, m'boy" exclaimed Slughorn, jumping up at the sight of him, "Good to see you, and you must be the infamous Herbology expert Mr. Longbottom!" Neville nodded, looking fearful but proud. At Slughorn's gesture, they sat down together in the only empty seats closest to the door. Harry glanced around at the fellow guests and noticed a Slytherin from their year, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes; there were also two seventh year boys Harry did not know, and...Ginny Weasley. Harry didn't know whether he liked or disliked being in the presence of her. Harry forced himself to focus back at Slughorn.

Slughorn smiled merrily, "Excellent! Now, we all know each other right? Blaise Zabini's in your year...of course, there's Mr. Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you know each other already. This is Marcus Belbey-and...this young woman says she knows you!" Harry's eyes met briefly with Ginny Weasley's and diverted immediately. Slughorn spent the whole time talking about his famous connections and it seemed that everyone was invited because they were connected to someone influential or famous.

When the talk turned to Harry's parents, Slughorn gave a great beam, "Ah, Harry Potter! They're calling you the 'Chosen One' nowadays. Of course, I knew both of your parents very well, Lily was my favorite student. Talented, indeed, in Potions. Meanwhile, I heard your father was a Quidditch star, a natural-born flyer on the field!"

Zabini, Belbey, McLaggen all stared at him. Harry said nothing. Slughorn did not sense the awkward situation and continued, "But it was very sad that day-Voldemort killed your parents. It was very auspicious that you survived that night, rumors where that you must have powers beyond the ordinary. I have no doubt believing that as all your teachers were telling me of your great intellect and power." Zabini gave a slight cough that was supposed to indicate amusement.

Slughorn continued, "Anyways, such rumors this summer. Of course, one doesn't know what to believe, the Daily Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies. But there is little doubt of such mistakes and you were in the thick of it all!" Harry again said nothing and nodded.

Slughorn beamed, "So modest, so modest, no wonder why Dumbledore seemed so fond of you. So you were there, then? The rest was so sensational, but no one article is accurate. Like this fabled prophecy."

Slughorn talked on forever as the afternoon flew by with lots of anecdotes about eminent wizards Slughorn had taught, all of whom had been delighted to join what he called the "Slug Club" at Hogwarts." Harry was feeling a bit uncomfortable and wanted to leave but couldn't find a way politely. Perhaps it was his facial features that gave way because Slughorn suddenly stopped mid-way in his long inanimate story and looked at the window. "Goodness gracious! It's getting too dark already, I suspect we will arrive shortly. You'd better go off and change into your robes."

Harry and Neville followed Slughorn out the compartment and exchanged glances at Cormac McLaggen. The seventh-year smiled and shook Harry's hand, "Hey, nice to meet you finally, Potter. Heard you were Captain, so I wanted to congratulate you. Hopefully, I'll see you on the field for tryouts." Then he left. Harry and Neville went back to their compartment and stayed there for the remainder of the ride.

When the Hogwarts Express halted to a stop at the Hogsmeade station, Harry took out his miniaturized trunk, enlarged it and dumped the remaining sweets inside. Harry quickly set some safety wards on his trunk before following Neville off the train. Harry and Neville went towards the carriage stables for the fifth year. A couple of others were waiting for their carriage which took along the main path to Hogwarts.

Just as their carriage came to a stop in front of them, Harry stared in wonder at the skeleton black winged horse that projected coldness and death. Harry looked at Neville, "Look at the horse pulling the carriage! Do you see it?" Neville looked wildly at Harry, "What horse? No horse is pulling the carriages, Harry. You must be seeing things." Then Luna appeared behind Harry as Neville clambered into the carriage. She softly looked at the horse, "Don't worry, Harry. You aren't imagining things, I can see them too. Majestic creatures, aren't they?" Harry shook his in confusion and followed Neville into the carriage.

The road was a bumpy ride. When the carriages pulled to a stop in front of the entrance, Harry jumped off and followed the crowd of fifth years into the castle. Whispers followed him wherever he went, stares and gestures taunted his presence, others talking harshly behind covered hands. Harry ignored all of the attention, he didn't care about them. They had all not believed him and ridiculed him and now it's their fault for doing the wrong things and they should suffer themselves. Harry isn't going to save their backs anymore.

Everyone entered the Great Hall and Harry sat down towards the end of the table with Neville, Dean, and a now more matured Seamus. Seamus had apologized deeply for being such an asshole and being so mean and unsupportive to him last year. He had even unsubscribed to the Daily Prophet in an attempt to convince Harry of his sincere apologies and promised to help him no matter what. Harry was much kinder to Seamus for that and appreciated his unconditional support. Everyone dug in the feast and fill their stomachs with delicious and rich food. People were talking and laughing, some huddled together with friends to gossip and point, others remain silent.

After a while, Dumbledore stood up to make his annual speech and Harry had taken a bit of effort to control his deep-felt anger against the old man. "The very best of evenings to you," he said, smiling brightly, his arms wide open as if to embrace the whole hall. Harry harrumphed. There were gasps around the hall and Dumbledore quickly covered his hand with his robe sleeve, "Nothing to worry about," he said dismissively, "Another year of magic awaits you all. To new students, I welcome you warmly to Hogwarts and older students, welcome back!"

Neville leaned closer to Harry, "What do you think happened to his hand?" Seamus shrugged, "Dunno, some sort of curse or something, I reckon. Can't be that serious." Harry hummed in agreement. Even though Harry disliked Dumbledore for interfering with his life, he was slightly concerned about the old man's health. Dumbledore continued to speak.

"-and Mr. Filch would like to non-threateningly remind our students that there is a ban on any merchandise or joke item purchased from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Dumbledore gave a slight smile at this but moved on, "Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch Team should, as usual, give their names to their Head of House to participate in tryouts. We will also require a new Quidditch commentator."

Several students talked excitedly amongst each other, they were looking forward to another Quidditch season and many had even decided to give it a try. Seamus whispered at Dean, "Who's the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain?" Dean's eyes lingered at Harry's robes and caught sight of the gleaming badge, "You're sitting across from him right now, Seamus." Seamus swiveled around to look at Harry and beamed, "Brilliant! I knew it. Hey, listen, Harry, I've practiced a lot during the summer and I would like to try out." Harry nodded, "Sure, thing. I'll notify any hopefuls next week and will book the field this month. Dean, you interested?" Dean shrugged, "I don't know. Quidditch's not my thing. I'd prefer football anytime."

Dumbledore continued to speak, "We are pleased to announce a new member of our staff this year, Professor Horace Slughorn. He is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post as Potions master."

"Potions?" "Potions?"

The word echoed around the hall as people wondered if they heard right. Neville looked at Harry and Dean in confusion, "Did you hear potions? I thought Slughorn was a Defense professor. Then what's Snape teaching?" Harry felt a pang of foreshadowing, there was no new teacher that was filling in the post for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, "will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Harry's heart sank. Snape as his Defense professor would be the death of him. He probably couldn't stand a whole week without Snape ridiculing him and landing in detention. The full demeanor of the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables fell suddenly, everyone looked gloomy and downtrodden.

Dumbledore seemed to notice the gloomy atmosphere but completely disregarded it as he continued with some news. "As everyone now knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength" his eyes lingered slightly at the Slytherin table, "I cannot emphasize enough how dangerous the current situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's fortifications have increased and strengthened over the summer, but we must still guard with the carelessness of the students. The rule is that you are not to be out of bed after hours. Anyone caught will be punished. Additionally, if you notice anything strange or suspicious, report it to staff immediately."

After Dumbledore's long and tedious speech, everyone left back to their dormitories, Harry and Neville followed the other Gryffindors up the Grand Staircase. The Gryffindor prefect gives the short lecture and Harry followed the other boys up the boy's staircase. They reached the sixth year dormitory and pushed open the door. Harry reached his bed with was right next to Neville's and Dean's. Exhausted, Harry collapsed on his bed. Seamus and Ron entered. Ron approached Harry to speak but Harry moaned and turned over, "Not tonight, Ronald. I'm too tired." When Ron didn't move away, Seamus quickly nudged Ron away, "C'mon Ron, it's too late. Save it for the morning."

Harry showered, changed into his pajamas and burrowed himself in his cozy four-post bed, and was out cold as soon as his head touched his pillow. As he slept, he had a faint smile on his face as he was excited and looked forward to a new year.

* * *

A/N: I am sorry if this is a long chapter. I didn't know how to separate the train ride from the opening feast, so it resulted in a long chapter. But, I hope you enjoy.

It is a difficult time right now around the world. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. As for me, school is closed until April 20th and I will be at home doing online courses. I will do my best to write up the next chapter during my free time and provide the best entertainment. -March 16, 2020


	4. Important Notice!

Dear my followers and reviewers and any other people who have been reading my story,

I am extremely sorry to have kept you guys waiting so long, that is my fault. I have never expected such a huge reaction to my second story and I am saddened that I have never gotten the time to actually settle down and write more chapters for '**Your Problem Not Mine.**' I apologize for the wait and will apologize more for what I will say later.

If you do take this short moment to read this note, I must say thank you for reviewing and reading this fanfiction. But the sad news is that unfortunately for the time being I will be uploading less and less of this story because I am working on my third story which now has 8 chapters, '**Cadmus Nicholas Flamel.**' The reason for this being that this story '**Your Problem Not Mine**' is one of the stories that I suddenly get the inspiration of, write it, and then later lose focus on it. You can only do so much at the same time and I have learned from this experience that I can't write two stories at once.

So the point is, I will continue uploading chapters to '**Cadmus Nicholas Flamel**' weekly until I complete the story and then I _will_ return back to this story. Sorry. If I do have A LOT of free time, hopefully like during the summer, I can simultaneously upload chapters to both stories. But for now, while stressful remote learning is still on full blast, I will only be uploading to **Cadmus Nicholas Flamel.**

If I did disappoint, hopefully you guys can forgive me. I am only 14 and a beginner in writing fanfiction on this amazing site so I am still learning. Do feel free to give suggestions and helpful hints if you wish. Thank you for having so much support and faith in me and this story. Please do read my other story '**Cadmus Nicholas Flamel**' and my completed oneshot '**You Don't Know Me Well Enough**.'

Thank you for understanding,

mintloveme523 5/21/2020


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